Friend,

It's April and time to pull out a new planner for a fresh start. If you haven't gotten your Success Choice Planner second quarter yet, you can save 20% today, no foolin'! Use the coupon code: spring22 at TheSuccessChoice.com.

Are you feeling stuck or overwhelmed?

Use your Success Choice Planner to do a brain dump to get everything out of your head and onto paper. Just that act goes a long way to reducing stress.

My daughter is in her first year of college, and at times she will call me feeling totally overwhelmed, like it's not possible to get everything done. The first thing I do is have her write down everything she needs to get done in each of her classes. Once she has it all down on paper, she can make a plan as to what needs to get done each day. Once she has a plan, she can relax. Trying to keep everything in your head is overwhelming and exhausting.

If you are feeling stagnant, like you need some challenge, use the Areas of Balance Planner to brainstorm potential meaningful projects or goals. It isn't selfish to take some time for yourself and to improve.

Yesterday on my podcast, I interviewed a mom who when she had 3 small children was feeling stagnant and depressed. She happened by an art studio one day, and there was a sign out front offering beginner art classes one night a week. She decided to sign up. At first she felt like she was being selfish taking this time for herself, but she discovered ways to be more efficient with her everyday responsibilities, and she discovered she had a passion for art. Her soul was lit up, and she found she was so much happier, and a better wife and mother.

She set small goals for herself, and she got her pieces into art shows here and there. She set increasingly ambitious goals. One day she decided that eventually, she wanted to do a "one-man show." She knew she needed to have a lot of pieces of work, but she didn't want it to consume a lot of time each week. She continued going to this art class two hours, one night a week for, I believe it was 6 years. She gradually built up a huge body of work. She did end up doing a "one-man show," and now has a successful art business.

You can start small, carving out even two hours a week. Don't underestimate the compounding effect of consistency.

Block off time for your dreams in your planner, and make your continual growth a priority.

If you would like more inspiration or guidance, you can read my latest newspaper article: "Invest in Your Future Self: 3 Keys to Be the One Who Gets Things Done," and/or hop over to Instragram or Facebook @TheSuccessChoice and watch my latest video in the "Becoming Your Best Self" series where we talk about controlling our negative thought patterns.

Happy April!

Pamela